DRACUT -- The four candidates for Board of Selectmen strove to distinguish themselves as the best steward for Dracut's financial future at Wednesday night's Sun-sponsored debate, as they swapped ideas about the two looming tax override questions and what will come after them.

Incumbent Selectman Cathy Richardson once again stood out from her opponents due to her blanket opposition to both the public-safety and school override questions. She freely acknowledged, however, that the town is in an unsustainable budget position and that hard choices will have to be made.

"Overrides in and of themselves are poor municipal budgeting practices," she said, later adding that, "we have set up a pension system, a health-insurance system, that absolutely need to get looked at."

Her opponents quickly criticized that position.

Phil Thibault, a Permanent Building Committee member and architect by trade, said that there is no room left for Dracut to tighten it's belt and that the overrides will have positive effects beyond their face value.

"If the override does pass it sends a message to businesses that Dracut residents are willing to invest in their own community," he said.

Incumbent Selectmen Chairman Tony Archinski promised the audience that if these overrides pass he would "never come back and ask for another override."

That being said, he described the current proposal as a modest and responsible request that came about as a result of extensive research done by the Joint Budget Task Force, which he initiated and served on.

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Jesse Forcier, chair of the Planning Board and a Housing Authority commissioner, also supports both overrides. As the father of two children who will soon enter the public schools, he characterized himself as a voice on the board for students and parents.

"The politics of the past have to take a back seat in the future if we're going to move forward," he said, adding "Nothing is more important to me than the future of all our children."

The candidates were asked a series of questions about life after the override votes.

What would they do moving forward to shrink budget gaps? Would they support a large business coming to town if it meant giving up a piece of open, green land?

"Next on the agenda is to continue economic development" while still retaining the rural character of Dracut, Forcier said. "What I've really excelled at on the Planning Board is keeping that balance."

He and Archinski said they would have to look at a company's specific plan to come to town before passing judgment, but Archinski added that he would be open to rezoning areas along Route 110 with the intent of bringing businesses to Dracut.

Thibault advocated an even broader overhaul of the zoning bylaws.

"The biggest problem for Dracut is that we have a master plan that was last developed in 1999 ... we have zoning bylaws that predate our master plan, which is the reverse of what it should be," he said.

Richardson raised the possibility of a short-term moratorium on new houses in town and said it is important for Dracut to retain its designated open space because those areas prevent new residential developments, and their accompanying costs, from stretching Dracut's finances even further.

When asked about what level of responsibility the current police leadership bears for the department's financial and staffing strains, as illuminated in a recent audit, none of the candidates laid the blame solely at the chief's and deputy chief's feet.

Archinski, a former Dracut police officer, made a point of saying that he would make sure the department followed up on its plan to improve, though.

The candidates all expressed their happiness at the news that Kinder Morgan is suspending work on its proposed natural gas pipeline. Richardson warned residents that they should never trust Kinder Morgan, however, and that the project is not absolutely dead.

Finally, in their closing statements, the candidates included personal pitches.

Thibault said he would leverage his professional expertise in Dracut's quest for economic development. Richardson described herself as an experienced defender of Dracut's taxpayers and open space.

Forcier said he would be a champion for Dracut's children and bring fresh ideas to the board while keeping the town affordable. Archinski said that he would continue to bring civility and professionalism to the board and that his experienced leadership was vital in the coming years.

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